Can't speak to the greying as I have no part in that. That said, while I agree to a point, to me, adware is where ads are being served that are impacting the UI proper. Because of where it happens, apparently in a new tab/window, it isn't adding advertisements when I go to a web page that weren't already there. I also don't have to do a specific action to get away from the ad: I don't have to close the ad directly, it just disappears as a result of me doing normal behavior. So while perhaps "adware" it isn't the annoying kind at the very least.
I don't use Firefox so I'm not sure what it is showing, but if it is like the new tab in Chrome that pocket's extension generates, it is basically the top 3 in the recommended section of Pocket which seems to be popular articles of no particular importance or targeted. Earlier I saw links to an article for a Ryan Reynolds interview where he talks about his anxiety (apparently, didn't read it) and another article about all cultures appropriating (again, didn't read, so going on title). If it were targeted, I'd expect articles of a more technology/development slant.
